


Safety

by lokitrashno_1



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Adorable Connor, Age Regressed Connor, Age Regression/De-Aging, Autistic Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Caregiver Hank, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Has PTSD, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Whump, Connor Deserves Happiness, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hank Anderson is a Good Dad, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Age Play, Sexualise this and i'll break ur kneecaps, i don't like that tag, more characters and tags to be added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-07-20 12:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19992304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokitrashno_1/pseuds/lokitrashno_1
Summary: After experiencing an incident that was a little too familiar to Connor's first mission, Connor age regresses to help himself deal with the traumatic experience.In which Hank is an A+ dad, Sumo is a good boy and Connor gets all the cuddles he could ever want.*****DO NOT SEXUALISE THIS*****





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In this fic, Connor age regresses to deal with trauma. AGE REGRESSION IS NOT SEXUAL PLEASE DO NOT SEXUALISE THIS. Please be kind.
> 
> Basically this is just me projecting all my personal angst onto my favourite boy.
> 
> Skip to the end notes for trigger warnings for this chapter!

It was an all too familiar situation. 

“Negotiator on site!” One of the masked officers called as he approached the steps leading to the roof. The office block was fairly new, built in the late 2020’s and was over forty stories high. He was about to be very high up.

“You good, Connor?” Hank asked from his side. “Your thingy’s gone red.”

The android took a deep, steadying breath.

“I’m fine.” He said, wringing his hands. Hank raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him. “It’s just… high.”

The older detectives’ expression softened. Connor didn’t like heights, Hank knew they made him nervous. Something that happened on his first mission – Hank didn’t know all of the details. Connor didn’t like to talk about it, and Hank didn’t want to push him. He would tell him when he was ready.

“We’ll be right behind you.” Hank said, clapping the android on the shoulder. “Don’t go close to the edge, keep well back. We can’t risk you getting yourself killed, you hear?”

Connor nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll stay back.”

“Atta boy. You ready?”

He nodded again, and Hank waved a hand at one of the armed officers and they opened the door to the roof, leading Connor out.

He shivered as the wind hit him – it was a summers evening and the sun was still strong, but Connor suddenly felt freezing cold. He looked up at the sky, the sun was only just beginning to set, the sky a gradient of orange and blue framed with pink tinted clouds. It was beautiful.

It was also very, very high up.

He walked out with his hands raised, expression hard. The android stood on the very edge, her superhuman balance the only thing keeping her feet planted on the ground. She clutched a gun in a trembling hand, her free arm wrapped protectively around a sobbing child. The girl only looked around five years old and she was bleeding from a nasty looking wound on her ankle.

“Anna!” Connor called out toward the android. “My name is Connor.”

Anna laughed, a high, hysterical sound. “I know you!” She said, “You’re the deviant hunter!”

Connor swallowed, uncomfortable at the use of his old title. “I was.” He admitted. “But that was months ago, now. I’m here to help you.”

Anna scoffed, “Like you helped all those other androids?" 

“I’m not going to hurt you. None of us are.” Connor ignored the comment. “We can talk about this. No one has to die here today. Tell me what happened.”

**_Chance of success: 43%_ **

Anna’s expression hardened and she looked down at the little girl in her arms. “They want to take her away from me.” She hissed, her eyes overflowing with saline based tears. “But she’s mine! She’s my daughter!”

She wasn’t, Connor knew. The little girl, Marie, was human. Her parents had died in January after a burglary. Anna, who had been the families service android before the revolution, had tried to defend them until the very end, but the parents were adamant that she took Marie and run. It had been a traumatic experience for them both. Anna had kidnapped Marie when she had found out the girl would have to go into foster care and had been on the run ever since. 

Connor thought it best not to mention these events.

“I’m sure she is.” He said instead. “And as her mother, you don’t want her harmed, isn’t that correct?”

Anna nodded frantically. “I love her. No one can hurt her.”

“But you’re putting your daughter in danger right now.” Connor took a small step forward. "She's already hurt."

_Don’t come any closer or I’ll shoot!_

“What if you accidently pull the trigger? Or slip? It will send the two of you tumbling to your deaths.”

Marie whimpered.

“If I can’t have her, no one can.” Anna said, determined, her head held high, her child pointed toward the setting sun. “I can’t risk her going to a bad home. What if someone tries to hurt her? I can protect her, I can…”

“Anna. Androids are gaining more and more rights everyday. One day, androids will be able to adopt and raise human children. I’m sure of it. I know that Markus is working on it right now.”

Markus was actually working on getting androids the rights to be able to adopt android children, but Connor needed to use anything at his disposal.

“It’s not now, though.” Anna cried. “If I step down they’ll take her away from me. They’ll-,”

“She’ll be safe. She’ll be safe until the laws come through. I’ll personally make sure of it.”

The android across from him shook her head. “No. No. I won’t lose her.”

“You _won’t_.” Connor assured her. “You can visit her everyday if you want to.”

_You lied to me, Connor._

Anna’s grip tightened around Marie, the gun in her hand shook violently. “I can’t risk it.” She whispered.

**_Chance of success: 88%_ **

“You can.” He said, softly. “You can. She’ll be safe. I promise you, she’ll be safe. Then you can be a family. If you kill her and yourself now, there will be nothing. This way you can be together, you might have to wait, but it can _happen._ ”

**_Chance of success: 94%_ **

****

_You lied to me…_

_Blue blood, splattered. Dizzying heights. A little girl curled on the floor, bleeding. Falling through the air…_

“They’ll arrest me.” Anna said. “They think… They think I kidnapped her. They’ll put me in jail.”

**_Chance of success: 84%_ **

Connor bit his lip, stalling. Anna would almost defiantly be arrested, but telling her that will certainly undo all his progress. His eyes found his way to the little girl. Her arms were wrapped around Anna’s neck as she sobbed into her side. She clung to the android desperately. He took a deep breath.

“Anna, I… we will look after her. While this is all being sorted out. I promise you-,” 

“So you’ll take her away from me?!” She shrieked, raising the gun and pointing it at Connor. Connor froze, his hands still in the air.

_Ok. I trust you._

“Only for a little while, and you’ll get her back, I promise.” The lies tasted rancid on his tongue. He felt himself shaking.

“No!” she cried. The gun fired, and Connor dodged, but he couldn’t see where the bullet was going. He threw himself to the floor, a sharp pain stabbed into his upper arm, where the bullet had grazed him back then…

_Stay back!_

He gripped his arm, and screwed up his eyes against the blinding pain. They were still in front of him, he needed to get to them.

“Anna!” He cried, “We can help you-,”

“NO!” She screeched, her voice echoing around them, carrying off into the sunset. “YOU LIAR!”

“You can be together eventually-,”

**_Chance of success: 15%_ **

****

_You lied to me, Connor. You lied to me…_

_Falling, falling…_

Suddenly, Anna’s expression softened dramatically. She turned her head so she was smiling against Marie’s hair.

“No. No. It’s not good enough.”

“Anna!”

He saw it all in slow motion. Anna took a step back, shifting her balance.

Connor lurched forward, ignoring the waves of agony it sent through his ruined arm. He dove toward the edge of the roof, his arms outstretched.

They closed around thin air.

He landed with a heavy thud, his head hanging over the side of the building, looking down at the concrete so, so far below…

Marie’s screams cut through the air as she fell, Anna clutching her protectively to her chest, her long blonde hair whipping about the both of them.

“NO!” Connor screamed. He felt sick, this couldn’t be happening- 

“Connor!” Strong hands pulled him upright, dragging him away from the edge.

Not before he watched red mix with blue on the ground below.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how often this fic will be updated. I'm going to aim for every Friday but don't hold me to that! I'm working on other stuff so I'm aiming to write at least 500 words a day for this fic (I'm failing so far)
> 
> Thank you for all your kind comments on the last chapter! Y'all lovely.
> 
> It's dad!Hank time!
> 
> Remember - this is strictly a father-son relationship! This is not sexual or kinky in any way shape or form. Please don't read it as such. Age regression is not sexual, no matter what you've heard.

“What happened, Connor?”

The android just stared down at his thirium stained shoes and said nothing.

“We know what happened, Jeffery!” Hank hissed from beside him. His arm was a comforting weight across his shoulders, above the blanket he was wrapped in. It smelt like Sumo, and Connor could make out the dog’s hairs scattered across the soft material. 

They were sat in Captain Fowlers office. Connor’s shirt had been discarded, and he sat in just a vest, the wound on his arm bandaged with duck patterned duct tape that Hank kept in his “Android First Aid Kit”. It ached, but Connor could barely feel it. 

“I know.” Fowlers tone was as soft as Connor had ever heard it. “I need to hear his account. Paperwork.”

“Can we do it tomorrow? Next week?” Hank’s voice was almost begging. “Look at him, Jeffery!”

“Hank-,”

“I failed.” Connor’s whisper cut across him.

Both men turned to look at him. 

“I failed.” He repeated, his voice slightly stronger. “She’s dead because of me.”

“Connor-,” Hank began.

“No. She is. It’s my fault. I made a mistake.”

“Connor.” Fowlers voice was stern. “That android was unstable. She was intent on killing them. I don’t think anything you could have said would have made any difference.”

“I wasn’t designed to fail. I got scared. I wasn’t designed to be scared. I failed.” His hands balled into fists on his lap, a tear falling down his face. “I should have lied to her.”

“For fucks sake, Connor, _no._ ” Hank said, manhandling the android so he was facing him, though Connor wouldn’t meet his eyes. “It wasn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself for this. She was crazy. She _shot_ you for fucks sake!”

Connor shook his head. “No.” He said, his voice cracked. “No. I should have thought of something…”

Fowler sighed. “You were right, Hank. We should do this another day.”

“Good.” Said Hank. “C’mon Con, let’s get you home.” 

He helped Connor to his feet, who swayed slightly, his eyelids drooping. Hank put his arm around the androids shoulders again and led him out of the precinct. It was almost disserted, with only a few officers milling about here and there. One of them, unfortunately, was Gavin.

“Heard you fucked up pretty bad, huh tin can?” He was lounging at his desk, idly scrolling through his phone.

“Eat shit and die, Reed.” Hank snarled, pulling Connor closer to him. 

Gavin looked up at Hank’s unusually harsh tone, slightly startled and frowned. “What’s up with him?” He asked.

Hank ignored the detective and continued steering Connor out of the precinct. 

He only allowed himself to relax slightly once they were both in the car, he let his head fall back against the headrest and sighed.

“You good, son?” He asked.

Connor said nothing. Instead, he drew his knees to his chest and rested his feet against the dashboard. It seemed he was trying to make himself as small as possible. Normally, Hank might’ve yelled about dirty shoes on his car, but he didn’t. The kid looked wrecked.

He waited another minute, in which Connor remained silent. Hank sighed again. “You wanna talk about it?”

“I wanna go home.”

His voice was small and barely audible. It was a tone Hank had never heard on the android before and it unnerved him slightly. Hank took a shaky breath.

“OK. Yeah, sure. We’ll go home, kid.” He pulled on his seatbelt and started the engine, but hesitated once he realised that Connor hadn’t moved.

“Connor, your seatbelt.” He prompted.

Connor blinked and looked at Hank owlishly.

“Seatbelt.” Hank repeated, pointing to where it hung just by the android’s shoulder.

Connor reached around with his good arm, making a grab for the belt. His shaking hand stumbled and he dropped it multiple times, causing it to whizz back, the resulting click making him flinch. After two or three attempts, Hank took pity on the kid.

“Here.” He sighed, reaching over and tugging the belt across Connor’s body. Connor watched his movements, and as soon as the buckle was in the clicker, his knees returned to his chest, hugging them to himself. 

Hank had seen the android upset before, but this was different. Very different. Since Connor had gotten his emotions, it was almost as if he had trouble controlling them, a far cry from what he was like in his pre-deviancy days. He was openly happy and excitable when he did the activities he enjoyed, such as walking Sumo or visiting the aquarium (Hank had lost count of just how many times they had been to that damned place.) He wasn’t quick to anger, but that hadn’t stopped the pair from having a shouting match in the kitchen over Hank’s choice of dinner only a few days ago. He was inconsolable after watching ‘Marley and Me’, and even got a little teary eyed while watching some shitty soap.

No, this was something Hank hadn’t seen before. This was new. As he drove, Connor seemed to shrink into the seat. His fingers found his mouth and he seemed to be lightly chewing on them. His LED was a solid yellow, which, despite everything, relieved Hank. It had been red from when he had found the android on the roof all the way up to leaving Fowler’s office. 

“We’re home.” Hank announced as they pulled into the drive. Connor looked up and began to fumble with his seatbelt again. Hank reached across and undid it for him, and Connor stepped out of the car shakily.

Sumo boofed in greeting as they entered the house. Connor immediately dropped to his knees and embraced the dog, who was more than happy at the attention. Only after having his face pressed into Sumo’s fur for a solid five minutes did Connor’s LED go back to blue.

Hank gave a sigh of relief, but he knew Connor was far from OK.

“Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

A few months after Connor had moved in, and after it became obvious that he wasn’t going to be moving out anytime soon, Hank thought it was time to clean out Cole’s room. It was hard, but he had done it, and it was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The loss of Cole still hurt; it was agony, eating him up every day. But it got a little bit easier.

Now, it was Connor’s room. And while Connor would never be a replacement for Cole, seeing the room used and lived in was easier than walking past a shut door everyday, knowing that all of his son’s belongings were on the other side, gathering dust.

It was only a small room, but Connor seemed happy with it. He had a double bed tucked up in the corner beneath the window covered in a plush blanket and more pillows than one person could ever need, a desk and a small closet. The sky-blue walls were decorated with polaroid’s. Hank had given him his old camera and Connor had a field day, taking pictures of trees, flowers, Sumo, and there were even a few awkward selfies of the two of them. The desk was littered with pencils and a sketchpad which Markus had convinced Connor to get took up most of the surface. Laying at the foot of the bed was a large Saint Bernad plushie that they had found in Ikea. Connor had taken an instant liking to it, it was only slightly smaller than Sumo.

Connor didn’t have much stuff, then again, he was only a year old.

Hank helped him out of his bloodied jeans and gently pulled the blankets over the android. He couldn’t resist tucking him in slightly. Connor immediately grabbed and snuggled his face into the Saint Bernard plushie and let out an exhausted sigh. 

“How’s the arm?” Hank asked as he folded Connor’s jeans and draped them over his desk chair. 

Connor made a noise.

“Do you want any of those funky android painkillers?” He asked, sitting on the side of the bed. “And some more thirium would probably do you some good.”

Connor nodded into the plushie. 

“Alright.” Hank stood again, but stopped when a hand reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt.

He turned around. Connor was looking up at him, only his big, brown eyes visible. They were wide and fearful, brimming with tears.

“Don’t leave me,” he whispered.

Hank opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. Instead, he sat back down on the bed, keeping Connor’s hand in his.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He said, his voice as soft as it had been when he was calming Cole down after a nightmare. He didn’t think he had used the tone since. “You need thirium and painkillers. I’ll go and get them, then I’ll be straight back, I promise.”

Connor just stared at him, still fearful. He looked so damn small curled up like that, his expression one of pure innocence. He looked like a child.

Hank sighed, running a hand down his face. He decided to try something that had helped Cole when he was feeling especially anxious.

“Ok. Can you do something for me, Con?”

Connor looked at him curiously.

“I want you to count back from thirty. By the time you reach zero I’ll be back with you. I promise. Can you do that for me?”

Connor looked sceptical, but after a beat he nodded.

“Great. I’ll be back in thirty seconds.”

“Thirty, twenty-nine…”

Hank rushed toward the kitchen, throwing open the fridge and pulling out a pouch of thirium, then moving over to the medicine cabinet.

“Twenty, nineteen…”

He grabbed a bottle of water for himself, though he very much wanted a stiff drink after the day’s events. But Connor needed him, and he needed him sober. 

“Ten, nine…”

“Sumo!” Hank called as he made his way back to Connor’s room. Sumo boofed happily and trotted into the room after him.

He was back at Connor’s bedside before the android could say “One”.

“What did I say?” Hank smiled, “Thirty seconds.”

Connor smiled, weak and watery. “You came back.” His voice was a little stronger, but still so very small.

“I came back.” Hank confirmed, settling back on the bed again.

Connor sat up and threw his arms around the older man’s neck, which caused Hank to start. The android rested his head against his shoulder and immediately began to shake.

Hank’s own arms snaked around the shaking boy and he held him tight. “It’s ok, Con.” He whispered, cupping the back of his head. “It’s all ok.” 

It wasn’t like the pair didn’t hug often – they hugged rather a lot. It was the fastest way to calm Connor down when he got emotionally overwhelmed, and Connor seemed to find human contact generally comforting. Hank didn’t mind himself. The contact was nice. Connor had quickly begun to become something like a son to him very soon after the revolution ended. It was nice to feel like a dad again.

Connor clutched at Hank’s shirt as he sobbed. Hank shushed him and rocked him from side to side. “It’s ok.” He repeated. “It’s ok.”

Eventually, Connor began to calm, his sobs regressing into small hiccups as his breathing calmed, unconsciously matching Hank’s own steady breaths.

“Here.” Hank reached for the thirium packet, pressing it into Connor’s palm. He popped a few pills next to it. “Take these. Drink. You’ll feel better.”

Connor nodded, tipping the pills into his mouth and clumsily sipping at the thirium. It was as if the small action was exhausting, and his fingers trembled around the pouch. Hank placed his hand over the androids, helping him steady.

Once the pouch was emptied, Hank threw it towards the bin in the corner. He didn’t bother to check if it had landed, and surprisingly neither did Connor.

“You wanna go to sleep now?” Hank asked, looking down at the exhausted android in his arms. Connor nodded, his eyelids drooping.

Hank gently helped the boy lay down, tucking the blankets around him once again. He was about to rise when Connor grabbed onto his shirt again.

“Stay?” He rasped.

“Connor…” 

“Please.”

Hank sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day and looked down at the boy.

“OK. I’ll stay.”

He lay down next to the android, who immediately nuzzled into his shoulder, drawing the blankets up and around them.

Sumo jumped up onto the bed, being mindful of their legs, and settled down on top of Connor. If Connor was human, Hank was sure Sumo would have crushed him to death by now. 

The dog was always lying on top of Connor. Hank figured it had something to do with Connor liking the weight. Maybe Sumo could sense that, too. 

“G’night son.” He said, but his words fell on deaf ears. Connor was already fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connor is baby.
> 
> I love those patterned duct tapes you can buy, and I really like the idea of them being used as dressings for androids. We used to use it to patch up the paddling pool when I was a kid, and it did the job! I feel like Hank would have stumbled across the patterned ones and thought it would be funny to buy them - he just had no idea how appropriate they would end up being!
> 
> Also, is there anything you'd like to happen to/see regressed!Connor doing? I'm still writing this so suggestions are welcome. 
> 
> Thanks for reading so far! Please leave comments and kudos to fuel me ❤️


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating so soon after the last chapter! All your nice comments are like crack to me ❤️

Hank woke before Connor the next morning.

Which was something that rarely ever happened. Connor was always up at the crack of dawn; since deviating he had fallen into a strict routine. He was always the one to wake Hank up.

Not that morning.

Hank left the android asleep in his bed while he went to make himself some breakfast. He was curled up, fingers in his mouth, looking peaceful and so very young.

It was odd behaviour to say the least. Connor had always been a bit childish since he deviated, but that hadn’t surprised Hank. He was young.

But now he was acting even younger, younger than he had ever acted. Could it have something to do with what happened the night before? Hank was no stranger to PTSD – he didn’t have it, but being on the force for thirty years certainly introduced him to the illness. He knew Connor had PTSD, they had talked about it many times. It wasn’t uncommon for Connor to wake up in the night, crying out from a nightmare. The kid had gone through hell.

The previous days incident obviously hadn’t helped matters.

He was concerned. 

It was past midday before Connor awoke. Hank was sat on the couch watching the game when he heard small whimpers coming from Connor’s room, a tell-tale sign Connor was in the midst of a nightmare. With a sigh, he heaved himself up from the couch and made his way over to the androids room.

Connor was curled up in a foetal position, clutching the blankets close to his chest. His LED was a bright angry red.

“Connor,” Hank said, shaking the boy by the shoulder. “Wake up, Connor.”

Connor woke with a gasp and panted hard. His eyes flickered around the room wildly before coming to focus on Hank’s face.

“It’s ok.” Hank soothed. He was used to this, at least. “You’re safe.”

Connor sighed and reached out for Hank. Hank sank down onto the bed again and let Connor crawl into his arms. He soothed him, much like he had the night before.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Hank asked. Often when Connor awoke from a nightmare Hank would encourage him to talk about it, to share the load. They often talked about their respective nightmares over breakfast, supporting each other.

That morning though, Connor shook his head.

“OK. That’s fine.” Hank ran a hand through the androids hair. “Do you want to talk about yesterday?” 

Connor shook his head again.

“OK.” Hank hoped his slight annoyance didn’t show in his voice. He desperately wanted to help, but he had no idea how.

He pondered for a moment. “Want to go to Jericho?” He asked. Connor tilted his head upwards, looking vaguely alarmed. “Not right now, we can go when you’re feeling up to it.” Connor hid his face in Hank’s chest once again. “I have to be honest, Con, you’re scaring me a little bit here.”

Connor said nothing.

Hank sighed again and let his head rest on top of Connor’s. “I just want to help you through this. Can I phone Markus? I won’t do it if you don’t want me to, but I just want to know what I can do.”

The android was still for a moment before he nodded.

“Ok. Thanks, son.” Hank placed a kiss on the top of the androids head. “I’ll be in the living room, alright? Once I’m off the phone, we can watch Finding Nemo. Again. How does that sound?”

Connor perked up at the mention of his favourite movie and nodded once more.

Hank grabbed his phone from the side table in the living room and searched for the android leader in his contacts. Connor still did a lot of work for Jericho, and Hank was listed as his emergency contact. He also occasionally called Markus to ask android related questions that Connor couldn’t (or wouldn’t) answer. It wasn't like Connor came with a manual, after all.

Markus picked up on the second ring, which was to be expected. The deviant leader was always on top of things, and his phone was in his head after all. 

“Lieutenant Anderson! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Markus’ voice was chirpy though the connection. 

“Hey, Markus. Listen, uh… It’s about Connor.”

Markus’ tone dropped to something more serious. “Ah yes, I was about to contact him, actually. I heard about an incident regarding an android and a little girl last night… Sources told me there was a negotiator on site. Was that Connor?”

“It was.” Hank confirmed. “He’s pretty torn up about it. That’s actually why I’m phoning.”

“How can I help?”

Hank lowered his voice slightly and paced slightly further away from Connor’s bedroom door. 

“He’s acting real strange. Well, not strange just… not normal, if you get my drift.” Markus probably didn’t, but Hank carried on anyway. “Ever since we got home, he’s… it’s like he’s mentally a lot younger than he was. I mean, he’s always been slightly, I don’t know, childish outside of work ever since he deviated. But this is different. I’m sure it’s to do with the trauma, but I don’t know how to handle this. He isn’t human, so I just wondered if there was a different way to go about helping him, y’know?”

The connection was silent after Hank had finished rambling. Soon Markus broke it with a soft hum. 

“I’ve seen this before, it’s pretty common.”

“It is?” Hank asked, hopeful.

“We don’t know much about it at the moment, we’re still looking into it. But we think it’s kind of an age regression of sorts.”

“Age regression?” He questioned. 

“Humans do it too.” Markus said. “It’s common with people with PTSD or other mental health conditions. Regressing into a smaller, simpler state of mind provides the person with comfort, helps them deal with the day to day. We have a lot of androids living in Jericho who regress; people who have suffered abuse at the hands of their former owners, most commonly.”

“Shit.” Hank said.

“There’s also another theory floating around – in humans, you go through childhood, which is the time when you discover the world and who you are through play. Android’s don’t have childhoods, not the adult models anyway. They’re still discovering themselves. This could explain why the population of people who age regress is higher in androids. When did you say this started? With Connor?”

“Last night…” Hank paused, deep in thought. “He’s always been quite childish, at times. I just put that down to him being only a year old.”

“I would say he’s been regressing for a while.” Markus said. “Androids usually have an emotional mentality the equivalent of an adults. The things Connor had to do, what his programming made him do, before deviating were traumatic to say the least. He was CyberLife’s puppet. At work, he acts like an adult, yes?”

“Most of the time.” Hank said, gruffly. "He's an absolute badass. He's terrifying, the way he handles criminals. He's one of the best officers on the force."

“And at home?”

“When he’s not judging me over my health and diet, he’s usually playing video games or watching cartoons on the kids channel. He’s obsessed with ‘Finding Nemo’ and he has this plushie of a dog that he drags around.”

“Hm. Perhaps he’s regressed to a younger age after what happened yesterday. The final straw, maybe." 

“Maybe.” Hank agreed. “So what do I do?”

“Just support him.” Markus said. “If he’s regressed around you that means he feels safe in your presence; play along with him. I think he needs you to be a father.”

Hank swallowed around the emotion the word brought up. “Alright.” He said, gruffly. “I think I can do that.”

“I’m glad.” Markus’ voice was warm. “And if he wants, bring him to Jericho. We can organise some therapy for him to help him deal with what’s happened. We also have some support groups he may find helpful. It’ll help him to know that he’s among friends.” 

“Thank you, Markus.” Hank said.

“Let me know if you need anything else.” Markus said. “I’m always on the end of the phone.”

Hank hung up and put the phone back on the side table again. Age regression. This was new territory for him. Markus' words rang in his head: 'He needs you to be a father'. Connor was already like a son to Hank, but now he needed to be taken care of. He would need similar, if not the same attention as Cole if he were still alive. He didn't know if he was ready to do it all again, but he needed to. 

He sighed heavily and made his way back into Connor’s room. The android was sat up in bed, a blanket around his shoulders despite the lingering warm weather. His hands were fisted deep into Sumo’s fur, the great hound panting gratefully up at him.

“You good, kid?” Hank asked.

Connor nodded.

“Wanna go watch Finding Nemo now?”

Connor didn't need to be asked twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was obsessed with Finding Nemo as a kid... I needed to give that to Connor!
> 
> I might post the next chapter Friday, perhaps....
> 
> Feedback is always welcome!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got some comments on the last chapter (which are now deleted) that I really didn't like... I just want to re-iterate a few points here.
> 
> \- This fan fiction is in no way sexual or kinky. It will not become so at any point.
> 
> \- I do not ship Hankcon. It's ok if you do, I have no problems with that. This fan fiction depicts them in a strictly father and son relationship. I can't control how you read this fic, but I ask that this be read as purely platonic out of respect due to the themes depicted here. 
> 
> \- Age regression is strictly SFW and a coping mechanism used by many people with mental illness. It is completely different to age-play and unrelated to any kink communities like DDLG or similar. 
> 
> I want to thank the people who have continued to leave supportive and constructive comments ❤️
> 
> Now on with the next chapter!

“Are you sure you’re good, Con?”

The incident with Anna and Marie was a week in the past, and neither of them had gone back to work since. Although Connor had come out of his regression, he was still pretty torn up about it. He barely slept, instead he would stay up and play video games until he slipped into rest mode involuntarily on the sofa. 

“I’m… Ok.” Connor replied, though he didn’t sound very sure.

They were sat at opposite ends of the kitchen table as Hank wolfed down fried eggs while Connor idly chewed on the straw in his glass of thirium. He didn’t seem to be actually drinking any.

“You know, I have quite a bit of holiday to use up.” Hank said. “I can stay off with you for a little while longer.”

“I said I’m ok.” Hank was sure the android had meant to snap, but he didn’t have the energy. Instead, it came out as more of a blunt statement.

“Alright.” Hank didn’t want to argue with him. He glanced up at the clock, since Connor wasn’t chastising Hank on his terrible time-keeping like he usually would. “The meeting with Markus is at ten. Afterwards I’ll go to work and pick you up around six. Sound good?”

Connor didn’t say anything.

Connor’s moody silences were a lot heavier when he wasn’t regressed. Small Connor’s silences was almost comfortable, they had the air of a calm kid, not speaking because, well, they couldn’t. Big Connor’s silences felt a lot like sulking and brought Hank’s mood tumbling down along with the androids.

Hank sighed, rubbing his hands down his face.

“We have to get going.” He said, standing and dumping his plate in the sink. As he past Connor, he clapped him encouragingly on the shoulder. “C’mon. Get dressed.”

Connor’s mood didn’t improve once they were in the car.

He played with his Rubix cube the entire way there. He was sat ram-rod straight in his seat, his eyes fixed on the toy in his hands.

“You know, you can regress if you want to.” Hank said. “It’s ok.”

“I know it’s ok.” Connor said, not looking up. “I’m just… not feeling it.”

As soon as Connor was big again, they had talked about his regression. Connor seemed almost embarrassed at first, until Hank reassured him it was OK.

“It was kinda fucking adorable, actually.” He had said. “And you seemed calmer.”

“I don’t want to be a burden.” Conner shifted uncomfortably on the couch. He kept his trembling hands busy by petting Sumo. 

“You’re not a burden, Con.” Hank reassured him. “You do what you need to do to feel better. Hell, it’s better than any of my coping mechanisms, that’s for sure.”

Connor had regressed a couple of times since.

Only when they pulled into the New Jericho parking lot did Connor look up. His eyes narrowed at the building and his LED flashed yellow briefly.

“What’s up, kid?” Hank asked as he twisted in his seat so he faced the android. “You’re usually happy about coming here.”

“It’s different.” Connor began to pick at a thread on his T-shirt. “When I come here, I work. I do things for other people. I help Markus, I tend to the gardens… Apart from when I’ve been injured, I’ve never been here for _me_ before.” 

“You don’t like the attention being on you, huh?”

Connor nodded. 

“That’s understandable.” Hank leaned back in his seat. “I expect it feels pretty daunting, huh?”

“Yes.”

“But you know they’re gonna help you, right? Help you feel better?”

“I know.” Connor looked out the passenger window, a faraway look in his eyes.

Hank laid a hand on the androids arm. “It’s ok to be nervous.” He said.

“Good. Because I am nervous.” A ghost of a shy smile played about on Connor’s lips.

Hank huffed, clapping him on the shoulder again. “Alright, kid. Let’s go.”

The lobby of New Jericho had changed since Hank had last been there, but the lobby was changing all the time. Markus actively encouraged androids to paint on the walls of the reception area as a way for them to express themselves, and to show humans how, well, _human_ androids could be. Right then, a bright rainbow arched across the entire room from one wall, onto the ceiling before ending on the opposite. A couple of YK500 models sat in the corner with paintbrushes, giggling as they flicked each other with paint.

Markus was waiting for them on one of the plush sofas. He stood as they entered, greeting them with a warm smile.

“Connor, Lieutenant Anderson, it’s good to see you.” He beamed. 

“And you,” Said Hank, gruffly as he shook the android leaders hand. Connor just nodded in his direction.

Markus turned towards the other android. “How are you, Connor?” He asked. It sounded casual, but they all knew his words had a deeper meaning to them.

“I’m OK.” Connor said. Hank raised an eyebrow, but Connor ignored him.

“Good.” Markus’ smile was slightly strained; he knew as well as Hank that Connor was lying. “Well then, shall we go up to my office?” 

“Look at you, all fancy with an office.” Hank commented as they entered the elevator, Connor silent and stoic beside him. His face was fixed into a neutral expression, reminding Hank painfully of how the android was before he deviated. “Then again, you are the leader of the androids. Makes sense you have one.”

Markus let out a good-natured chuckle. “I suppose it’s odd to think about, from a human’s standpoint at least.” He said. “This time last year androids were slaves. Now an android has an office.” 

“I guess.” Hank agreed, albeit bashfully.

They stepped out onto the eighth floor – the top floor, and Markus led them along to his office. It was a small room, but an office none the less. A large terminal sat atop an old, re-claimed desk. The window on the back wall was large, letting in the sunlight and a gorgeous view of the city which sprawled out for miles and miles. Markus took a seat in the large, leather backed chair and gestured to Connor and Hank to sit in the older, stiffer looking seats.

“So.” He began. “Connor.”

Connor only blinked in response. It looked like the android was barely listening.

“What can we do to help you?" 

It took the younger android a moment to process that he was being asked a question. “Uh.” He began, “I don’t know.”

His undignified response reassured Hank that Connor hadn’t regressed back into a machine, at least.

Markus gave him a questioning look before he spoke again. “We have ways we can help you, Connor. We won’t hesitate to let you access them.”

Connor just shrugged. “It’s not… I just…” He fumbled for a moment. “I just _don’t know_.” He said eventually.

Markus nodded thoughtfully. “OK.” He said. “I think there are other people who know.” He shot Hank a pointed look, to which he nodded. 

“If it’s ok with you, perhaps Hank could suggest something.” Markus said. “With your consent, of course. We will never do anything without your consent, Connor, always know that.”

“OK.” Connor responded after a beat. “Hank will know.”

He lapsed back into silence, all his attention once again focused on the rubix cube.

Hank hesitated; he wasn’t sure he wanted to speak for Connor. Connor was his own person after all, and his entire ‘species’ had been oppressed, and still were. Making decisions for him felt so wrong. However, as he looked at the android then, it was obvious Connor wasn’t in the right headspace to make decisions for himself. Connor needed him.

“Therapy.” He said, eventually. “To help him deal with what happened, you know?” He glanced at Connor for approval, but the boy was still staring at his rubix cube, re-scrambling it after solving it for the twelfth time in an hour. 

“That sounds good.” Markus agreed. “We have some amazing therapists here at Jericho.”

Connor grunted, it was the only acknowledgement he gave to show he had heard.

“I’ll get that set up for you.” Markus began to interface with his terminal. “Lieutenant, you’ll be going to work today, correct?”

Hank rolled his eyes. “What is it with you plastic pricks?” He grumbled. “For the last time, it’s Hank. And yes, I will. If it’s ok with Connor.”

Connor grunted again.

“I suppose you’ll be busying yourself with the garden like always, Connor.” Markus smiled, even though Connor didn’t look up to see it. “I can send North into the greenhouse to talk to you about some support groups we have that you might find useful.”

He paused, waiting for Connor to reply. After a minute, Connor looked up, having just realised he was supposed to respond.

“Ok.” He said.

Markus smiled, despite the other android's reluctance. “I’m glad.” He said. He stood, Hank and Connor mirroring his action. “I’ll see soon then, Lieu- _Hank._ ” He corrected himself under Hank’s scrutinizing look.

“See you soon.” Hank grunted. “You good, Con?”

“Yes.” Connor answered automatically. “I’ll be in the greenhouse.” He said, before turning on his heel and exiting the room, leaving Hank to look after him, a worried expression etched on the older detectives face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism is welcomed as always! 
> 
> Also, I was thinking about making this a series. If anyone has any prompts, or situations you'd like to see a regressed Connor in, let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've almost finished this! It's looking like it'll be 7 chapters long - we're almost there!
> 
> I have plans to make this in't a series, so watch this space!

The greenhouse was Connor’s safe haven.

Each and every inch of the small building was packed with greenery. It had been Connor’s idea to start a garden at Jericho, and it remained his domain. He had help from some of the other androids, mainly the WR600’s who had been built for gardening and despite themselves, still enjoyed it. But Connor was boss. He had full control over what happened there.

He knelt beside the sunflowers and begun weeding. He found gardening extremely therapeutic, so much so that he had even started a little garden in the back yard at home. He mainly grew vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, kale, pumpkins and such as a way to convince Hank to eat healthier. Hank always felt bad if he didn’t eat them, since Connor had gone through all the trouble of growing them and couldn’t eat them himself. Connor was in no way manipulative, but in his eyes, it was a win.

Connor had taken a back seat in the android politics recently. He may have been one of the driving forces in the revolution, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed the political side of things. Quite frankly, politics stressed him out. He hated hearing humans arguing against their basic rights, he hated that they had to fight to be seen as living people. After a while he decided he didn’t want to have anything to do with it, so he removed himself. He felt bad, but Markus was extremely understanding. He threw himself into odd jobs at Jericho instead, namely gardening.

A bee buzzed past his ear, lightly tickling at his artificial skin. He smiled at the small bug as it went about its business, burying its little legs into his flowers and taking up the powdery pollen.

The greenhouse, along with his own home, was one of the only places Connor felt truly relaxed. It was a quiet, safe space.

So quiet in fact that he flinched when he heard the door open at the other end of the room. He hadn’t expected anyone to be working with him that day, which was one of the reasons he was so startled. He put down his trowel and turned his head to look at the newcomer.

It was North, just like Markus had said. He had completely forgotten. As soon as she saw him looking she smiled warmly at him. He tried to mirror the expression, but it felt false and flimsy.

Connor couldn’t help but be quite wary of North. After the revolution, she had been quite cold and snappy towards him, which was understandable given his job before deviating. He was the humans tool, their puppet. It took a long time for her to trust him.

But she eventually warmed up to him, much to Connor’s relief. They were actually quite good friends, and North and Hank got on very well, despite Hank being a human, which North generally despised.

“Connor!” She said in greeting, approaching him. He stayed seated on the floor, and after a second she joined him, crossing her legs and resting her hands on her knees. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, her bangs framed her face. “How are you?”

“Fine.” He responded. He was getting tired of people asking that, especially as he knew there was a second meaning behind it. “How are you?”

“Very well, thank you.” She smiled, then her face got a little more serious. “Listen, I’m going to spare the both of us the pleasantries. Neither of us are fond of them, so I’ll get straight to the point - Markus sent me to talk to you.”

Connor turned back to the weeding, mainly to hide the sour look on his face. “I know. He mentioned he would.” He said as he dug the trowel back into the ground and pulled up a leafy green sprout with a little more force than necessary.

North smiled sympathetically. “Yeah. Sorry.” She said. She watched as he methodically removed weed after weed. It had been quite windy recently, and the doors of the greenhouse had been left open due to the late summer heat. Many little seeds had blown in and taken residence in his flowerbeds in the short time Connor had been away.

“What did he want you to talk to me about?” He asked, “He’s already spoken to me about therapy.”

“Good.” North said. “I mean, therapy is helpful, take it from me.”

“He mentioned something about support groups.” Connor still didn’t look at her, instead he stared at the thick stem of the tallest sunflower.

“Yeah.” North shifted then, not uncomfortably, but it was looking like she was preparing herself for a Conversation. “Markus said you’ve been age regressing.”

Connor looked up at her then to search her face. Her expression was calm, almost flat. Her eyes were kind and soothing. It was like they were talking about the weather.

“Yes.” He confirmed.

“We have a lot of androids here that age regress.” She continued. She smiled kindly at Connor’s wary expression. “We have a support group, of sorts. Well, support group may be the wrong thing to call it… It’s just like-minded people getting together and having a good time. I run it, all we really do it watch movies and do arts and crafts and stuff. It’s really nice, I think you’ll like it.”

Connor put down the trowel and sat back, bringing his knees to his chest again. He turned to face North properly.

“Why?” He asked.

“Why?” North parroted. She searched his face for a while before continuing. “Like I said, like-minded people. It’ll be good for you to know there are other people like you, that you’re among friends.”

Connor bit his lip.

“You don’t have to.” She added hurriedly. “It’s just a suggestion.”

The younger android pondered for a moment, a finger stroked his lip in thought. “What movies do you watch?”

“Disney movies, usually.” North said. “They’re always popular, especially the classics.”

“What crafts do you do?”

“There’s painting, obviously.” She rolled her eyes fondly. “Markus is very instant on the benefits of painting! But we also make greetings cards and such; we have plans to make sock puppets within the next few days.”

Connor’s finger slipped past his lips, resting against his teeth. “Sock puppets.” He mumbled.

North nodded. “You in?” She asked. “We have a group running right now if you’re interested. You can take some time to think about it if it makes you more comfortable, but you’re more than welcome to join now.”

“Do you have Finding Nemo?” He asked. The question came out in a bit of an excited rush, but North only smiled at the young androids enthusiasm.

“Of course we have Finding Nemo.” She beamed. “Everyone needs to have Finding Nemo.” 

“Can we watch it now?”

“We can watch it now.” She got to her feet, holding out her hand for him to take. “We also have Finding Nemo colouring sheets, if you'd like them. We’ve been talking about getting an aquarium for the club room, would you like that?”

Connor was almost vibrating with excitement at that point, his earlier surly mood forgotten. He smiled and took North’s hand. She helped pull him up and gave his hand a comforting squeeze, she payed no mind to the fact that his fingers had been in his mouth only moments before.

“I’d like that.” He said. 

North’s smile was as wide as Connor had ever seen it. “Then we’ll have to get on that, then. What fish would you recommend?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this headcanon that North would be really in to helping other androids deal with their trauma, however that may be, and thus helping her. I've seen a few other people with the same idea. I also think North would have helped take care of the androids at the Eden Club as well (even though her memory was wiped, I think that trait stayed no matter what)
> 
> Basically, I love soft!North.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy, so this is late. i completely forgot to update on Friday, i was out all day saturday and i've been feeling pretty woozy for the past couple days so this just... hasn't happened. i'm so sorry! but we're here now!

Connor had regressed. He clutched North’s hand as they made their way through Jericho’s long corridors. The club room sat at the far end of the second floor. The walls were painted with crude little flowers framed by a bright blue sky. It was very beautiful, Connor thought. 

He paused as they reached the door, his fingers in his free hand finding their way to his mouth.

North glanced back at him. “It’s ok.” She smiled reassuringly. “You’ll have fun, I promise.” 

“Fun.” Connor repeated.

“Yes,” North said, “We have colouring and paints and Finding Nemo, what’s not to love?”

“Finding Nemo.”

North nodded encouragingly.

“Want to go in?” She prompted.

Connor nodded.

The door slid to the side, revealing a bright, open space beyond. The windows were large, taking up half the wall and let sunlight flood in. The floor was covered in a plush blue carpet that felt spongy under his feet and the furniture was bright and cheerful. Drawings covered the walls in a haphazard fashion from the floor to the walls and a large, flat screen television took up most of the room on the furthest side of the room. 

There were also three androids in the room. One was a HR400 model, one of the androids that had previously worked in the Eden club. He was sat in the corner of the room on a soft beanbag that almost swallowed him whole, a picture book balanced on his knees. He seemed deeply absorbed with whatever he was looking at. Another was a KL900 who was sat at a table colouring in opposite a WR600 who looked very familiar...

He froze in his tracks as realisation suddenly hit him square in the face. He remembered that scarred face, those shaking hands… It was Ralph. Connor had spoken to him while looking for the deviants back in November, before the revolution. He had helped the deviants escape back in the old, abandoned house.

North gave his hand another squeeze, unaware of what was causing his discomfort.

“Everyone.” She addressed the room. The other three androids looked up, and Ralph’s eyes found Connor’s face. Connor found he shrunk under the other androids stare. “This is our new friend; his name is Connor. He’ll be joining us from now on. Make him feel welcome!”

“Ralph knows Connor.” Ralph said, curling into himself. “Connor is bad. Connor wants to catch all the androids. Ralph doesn’t like Connor. Connor is scary.” 

North looked between the two androids as she tried to figure out the situation.

“I’m sorry.” Connor mumbled, sheepishly. He wasn’t in the right headspace to defend himself at that moment and he felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes.

North, however, seemed to understand. “Ralph.” She began firmly, “That was back before Connor became deviant. He had to do as the humans told him. Do you remember when you had to do as you were told?”

Ralph mumbled, looking down at the floor. “The humans hurt Ralph.”

“They did.” North’s tone was softer now. “It wasn’t nice, was it?”

“No.”

“The humans could have hurt Connor too.” She put an arm around Connor’s shoulders. “What Connor did wasn’t Connor. It wasn’t his fault.”

Ralph looked up at him sheepishly. “Ralph doesn’t know if he can like Connor.”

“Give it a try.” North said, gesturing for Connor to sit down. He did, though he sat as far away from Ralph as he possibly could. “Connor is very nice.”

Ralph didn’t look convinced, but he nodded anyway. Without sparing another glance at Connor, he got back to his colouring.

Connor felt very uneasy, sitting so close to Ralph. North must’ve picked up on in because she smiled sympathetically and sat down next to him. She pulled a box filled to the brim with colouring sheets toward them.

“What would you like to colour?” She asked as she rummaged through the box. “We probably have some dogs in here somewhere…”

Connor caught her hand as she came to rest on a teddy bear holding a big heart, suddenly struck with inspiration. 

“This.” He said, taking the sheet from the box. 

“Alright.” She said, ruffling his hair. “I’m going to put the movie on now.” She stood and crossed the room to the TV and switched it on.

Connor reached for the crayons and got to work. He held the crayon clumsily in his hand as he brought it back and forth across the paper. He coloured the bears body a chocolate brown, filling the inside of its ears with a deep red. He paused when it came to the heart and chewed on his fingers, deep in thought.

Finding Nemo began to play, and he looked up at the screen. He had seen the movie at least twenty times by now, and he knew it word for word, but it never got old.

He looked between the screen and the page as he worked, his tongue poking out between his lips.

North sat on a beanbag just behind him, talking with the HR400 model about the picture book.

Soon enough, Connor was finished with the colouring. He put down his crayon gently and warily eyed Ralph at the end of the table. He was still colouring; his sheet was filled with butterflies and flowers of all colours of the rainbow. 

Nervously, Connor shuffled a little closer. He folded his colouring unevenly, reached over, and placed it down cautiously by Ralph’s free hand.

Ralph paused and looked up, Connor quickly shuffled back to where he had been sitting before and picked up a plain sheet of paper next to the box next to the colouring sheets. Perhaps he would draw something for Hank. Even as he got started, he watched Ralph in the corner of his eye.

The older android picked up the sheet cautiously and unfolded it, his eyes scanned across the page. North had noticed, and she looked up.

“What you got there, Ralph?” She asked, curiously.

“Connor gave Ralph some colouring.” Ralph said.

“That’s nice of him!” North moved closer, “Can I see?”

Ralph flipped the paper. 

It was the teddy bear holding the heart that Connor had picked out of the box, though he had added to it. The heart it was holding was messily coloured in using a thirium blue crayon. Written across it in shaky handwriting read: ‘Sorry’. The teddy bear even looked sad. 

“That’s lovely, Connor!” North said. “See, Ralph? Connor is very sorry about what happened. He even made you that lovely picture!”

Ralph eyed Connor suspiciously. Connor looked up, sheepish.

“Connor is sorry?” Ralph asked.

Connor nodded. “I’m sorry.” He said.

Ralph continued to stare at him, but after a while he seemed satisfied.

“Ok.” He said. “Ralph forgives Connor.”

Connor beamed.

* * *

Hank left work early.

It wasn’t a big deal; most of his cases had been taken on by Gavin and Nines, it was just paperwork left for him until Connor came back. _If_ Connor came back.

He had been thinking about the android all day. Connor had been Big when they had left for Jericho, and he had been miserable. He hated seeing Connor like that, he really was the master of the ‘kicked puppy’ look.

He had left early to go to the mall. Hank wasn’t sure how long Connor would be regressing for; perhaps it was just a part of his life now. He wanted to be prepared.

He pulled up to Jericho just as the clock on the dashboard flicked over to six pm. Just on time.

He had been getting better at arriving to places on time, mainly thanks to Connor. The android was pretty serious about time keeping and just generally sticking to plans and routines. He was adamant enough that it had even rubbed off on Hank.

He made his way into the building and shot a friendly grin at the android on reception. The android looked a little startled at the presence of a human, but he returned the smile none the less, although slightly hesitant.

“I’m here to pick up Connor.” Hank said. “Uh… The RK800. He went to the greenhouse.”

The androids LED flickered and he blinked rapidly for a couple of seconds. Hank had seen Connor do that a few times, but it still unnerved him slightly.

“He’s with North.” The receptionist said. “They’re in room 201. Second floor, last room to your left.”

“Thanks.” Hank said gruffly and made his way to the lifts.

It turned out the room was hard to miss. Little flowers were painted along the walls, almost leading him to the room like breadcrumbs.

He reached the door of 201 and knocked lightly. It swung open moments later, revealing North.

“Hank!” She said, “It’s good to see you again.”

“And you.” He said as he stepped into the room. Connor was sat at a table, opposite another android with a horrific looking scar running down his face. Between them were multiple sheets of paper. They had been playing hangman; Hank could see the diagrams from the other side of the room. The answers were a range of words from ‘Sumo’ to ‘Fish’, ‘Grass and ‘Succulent’, all in shaky, childish handwriting. Hank had only seen Connor write in CyberLife sans before. Sometimes even Ariel or Comic Sans (Connor was pretty fond of the latter). He wasn’t even aware android’s could not write in a registered font.

Connor looked up, and his face spread into a smile as soon as he laid eyes on Hank.

“Hank!” He exclaimed, he jumped to his feet and rushed over to him. “You’re back!”

“I’m back.” Hank confirmed as the kid vaulted into his chest and wrapped his arms around his middle. He returned the hug and ruffled the androids’ hair. “You seem happy.”

“Made you something.” Connor said. He untangled himself from Hank and went back to the table. He picked up a sheet of paper and rushed back to the older man and handed it to him.

It was a drawing of the three of them; Hank, Connor and Sumo. The strokes of crayon were messy, the colouring messier still. They all resembled blobs with eyes and in Sumo’s case, fur.

They were standing in a grassy field, butterflies and bees were hovering around them. The sky was nothing more than a few blue scribbles. In the picture, Hank and Connor were both smiling wide.

“This is great, son.” He said as he reached out to ruffle the android’s hair again. “I think this deserves a place on the fridge, don’t you?”

Connor smiled even wider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ralph totally regresses. also Connor would love comic sans. its a good font for neuro-divergant people and i won't hear a bad word against it. fight me.
> 
> next chapter is the last!
> 
> i feel pretty apprehensive about posting it, if i'm honest. i'm worried some people who aren't familiar with age regression will find it weird, and some people might try to sexualise it. if people are weird about it i'll probably delete it, and have this chapter as the last. 
> 
> but i want to write more about regressed Connor! i headcanon his regressed age to be between 1 and 5 years old at the very youngest. before the events of his fic i think his regressed age was 7-12ish? i've found some prompts i want to follow but i'm more than happy to take any you guys might have~


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're at the end! Thank you for all of your lovey comments and encouragement ❤️ I had to re-write the chapter a lil to have the courage to post it, so I'm sorry if the ending is a little abrupt, endings really aren't my strong point!

Connor regressed again a few days later.

Nothing bad had happened. Connor was just happy, happier than he had been in a while, and he had just happened to slip into a smaller headspace.

Hank watched on fondly as Connor sat in front of the TV, fingers in his mouth, his other arm wrapped securely around the saint Bernard plush, which he had since named Bonesy. Hank had finally managed to convince the android to watch a movie that wasn’t Finding Nemo. So instead he was watching Finding Dory.

Hank’s hands hovered over the bag that sat on the kitchen table as he plotted in his head. He need to have a serious conversation with Connor. It had been a while since the incident, and Captain Fowler wanted to know when Connor would be returning to the force. He had sent a few suggestive texts, and had slipped a few comments into casual conversation at the precinct. He was getting impatient and although it irked Hank, he couldn't blame him. The revolution wasn't that long ago, after all, and there were a lot of android related crimes that needed dealing with. The force was stretched thin. However, Hank didn’t think it was a good idea to bring up the subject of Connor’s return so soon, and certainly not when Connor was Small. He would have to wait until he was Big again.

He took the bag and tipped it’s contence onto the table. Inside was a number of colouring books with subjects ranging from dogs to plants and flowers to robots. Accompanying them was a set of crayons. Hank wasn’t sure how old Connor was when he was regressed, but he figured he was quite young. He hadn’t wanted to risk it so he had brought the wax crayons over coloured pencils. He had noticed that Connor's motor skills seemed to slip when he was regressed, and he didn't want to risk Connor stabbing himself. He wasn't sure if androids could get led poisoning, and he didn't want to find out. Lastly, among the mess sat a blue pacifier. It was small, but the biggest he could find at the mall. He had briefly scoured the internet for a bigger one, but came away more than a little scarred. This would have to do.

“Hey Con.” Hank got the android attention as he walked into the living room. Connor looked up at him albeit reluctantly, tearing his gaze away from the colourful cartoon fish on the TV. He really seemed to be getting into the film. 

Hank took the remote and switched the TV off, which emitted a whine from the android.

“Sorry, bud. It’s just for a bit.” Hank said as he set all the items down on the coffee table in front of them. Connor eyed them curiously.

“I got you some stuff the other day.” Hank said. “You enjoyed the colouring at Jericho, right?”

Connor nodded

“I got you a few colouring books.” Hank spread them out on the table, and Connor’s hands immediately flew towards the dogs. 

“Thank you!” He exclaimed, flicking through it, obviously looking for a saint Bernard to colour in and beaming when he found one. Hank had purposely looked for one with multiple saint Bernard pages. It had taken a little while to find one among the cascade of golden retrievers and labradors. 

“And there’s something else, too.” He took the pacifier from its packaging and held it out to the android. Connor took it and turned it over in his hands curiously. “To stop you from chewing on your fingers all the time.” Hank clarified. Even then he could see little welts on Connor’s fingers, some so deep the skin had faded away revealing the stark white plastic underneath. It looked painful, but the android showed no chance of stopping any time soon. Connor always had a little bit of an oral fixation, Hank thought, and it got worse as he regressed.

Connor popped it in his mouth. His brows furrowed as he processed the new object, his LED spun round and round.

Finally, it settled on its usual, static blue and Connor grinned. He sat down in front of the coffee table and opened the packet of crayons.

“Good?” Hank asked. Connor nodded and Hank let out a sigh of relief.

In truth, Hank had been a little nervous about the pacifier. He didn’t want Connor to think he was making fun of him and he didn’t want to insult him in any way. Connor looked happy enough, though, the blue pacifier jiggling slightly as he chewed contently.

Hank smiled and settled on the couch behind the android. He pressed play on the movie, though Connor seemed to be engrossed with scribbling over one of Sumo's 2d look-a-likes.

* * *

“Connor.”

“Yes, Hank?” Connor was stood at the stove, cooking dinner for the older man. Hank had insisted he didn’t have to, but Connor was adamant, as he always was. It was like the kid didn't trust him to fend for himself or something.

“You’ve done so much for me over the past few weeks, let me.” He had said. 

“I need to talk to you about something.”

Connor frowned as he plated Hank’s stir-fry. “What about?” He asked, his voice suspicious.

“Nothing serious.” Hank began as Connor set the plate in front of him. “Well, actually, that was a fucking lie. It’s kinda serious.”

Connor looked worried, though he tried his best to hide it. “I’m listening.” He said as he sat down across from the lieutenant.

“Fowler’s been on my ass.” Hank began, not touching his food just yet, although he picked up his fork and held it in his hand. “He wants to know when you’re coming back to work.”

Connor was silent for a moment. “Ah.” He sat back in his chair, his posture slightly slumped.

“I told him it’s too early.” Hank continued. “I get it, Connor, I really do. But he wants an answer.”

“I know…” Connor looked down at the table. He bit his lip, his eyes filled with worry. “Hank I… I don’t know if I can.”

Hank smiled sadly. He had been expecting this. Connor had enjoyed his job, he knew, but there were times when he wavered. On their way to work one morning, Connor had spotted their neighbour Joy, an elderly lady, as she walked five dogs at once.

“She’s lucky.” Connor had said. “Getting paid to walk dogs sounds like heaven.”

That was only one example. On the job, Connor was harassed and talked down to just because he was an android – not by their co-workers, mind. Connor was well loved within the precinct (with the exception of Gavin). Perp’s didn’t take Connor seriously, especially the android-hating kind. Although he didn’t let it show often, Hank knew it wore him down. He had been waiting for something to push him over the edge.

Then The Incident happened, and Hank was almost sure Connor wouldn’t want to come back.

Connor hadn’t finished talking, however. “I would like to keep going.” He said. “I would, but realistically…”

Hank nodded. He took a bite of his stir-fry, his thoughts ticking over in his head as he chewed. It was delicious. Connor had come far as a cook since he had first moved in. “We could re-introduce you slowly.” He suggested. “That’s usually what we do with cops who’ve seen some shit. Lower your hours and gradually build ‘em up.” 

The android didn’t scold Hank, despite the fact he was chewing with his mouth full. Instead, he looked thoughtful.

“Or we could put you on desk-duty for as long as you need.” 

Connor didn’t look too thrilled with the prospect of desk duty. It wasn't exactly challenging for an android who could file reports in seconds. Still, he looked as if he was considering it. 

“I think… I would like to try something new.” His voice was small, scared. The way he spoke suggested he had the idea on his mind for a while, but was previously too afraid to voice it. He glanced up at Hank nervously, as if asking for approval. Hank could see him slowly slipping into regression.

“You can do what you like, Con.” Hank said. “It’s completely up to you. What do you think you’d wanna do?” 

“I don’t know.” Connor said. He pulled his legs to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. 

“That’s fine.” Hank said. “Let us know when you know, yeah? In the meantime, how about you come back part-time? Only if you’re ready, of course.” 

Connor nodded, though he looked terrified at the prospect.

Hank could see the tell-tale signs that Connor was regressing – making himself small, his fingers in his mouth. He quickly swallowed the rest of his dinner and put down his fork.

“Couch?” He suggested. Connor nodded, now completely non-verbal.

“Go make yourself comfortable.” Hank stood, taking his plate over to the sink. “I’ve gotta clean up in here. I’ll be in in a minute.”

Connor nodded again and shuffled out of the room.

Hank sighed heavily as soon as he knew the android was out of ear shot. He knew the conversation wouldn’t go well. They really needed to talk it through, but it obviously wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Hank couldn’t push anymore. It wasn’t fair.

He made no effort to clear up like he had said. Instead, he just placed the dishes in the sink and left them there. Connor wouldn’t scold him, he was too Small.

He collected one of the soft, plush blankets from Connor’s room and made his way over to the couch.

“Hey, Con.” He said in greeting. Connor looked up, his pacifier in his mouth. His expression seemed to soften when he saw the blanket. 

The android was shaking slightly, his LED yellow, his shoulders tense and his eyes were slightly damp. The evidence of their earlier conversation written all over his body. He sat hunched in on himself, he looked very small.

Hank gave him a reassuring smile and sat down next to him. He pulled the android into his arms, where Connor immediately rested his head on the older man’s shoulder. Connor sighed contently as Hank wrapped the blanket around the both of them and he sunk into the safety of the warmth.

Hank remembered holding Cole like this. Or kind of like this. Cole wasn’t six feet tall. He felt warmth in his belly as he looked down at Connor like he looked at Cole all those years ago...

It awoke the same feelings in him. He tightened his hold on the android and breathed in the strawberry scent of Connor’s shampoo, the weight of Connor across his lap comforting.

Connor was his son.

The realisation hit him like a ton of bricks, and he felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. He held the android tighter in his arms.

Connor was his _son._

He would never replace Cole, nothing could. Connor was different from Cole, and that was ok. Connor was Connor, and that’s all Hank needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're done! Thank you all so much for reading ❤️ 
> 
> Writing this was extremely therapeutic. I'm planning to write more Regressed!Connor in the future; watch this space!

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings: Gun violence, child death 
> 
> Feedback is always welcome ❤️


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